The need of the hour is ‘peace within and peace without.’ The Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s pronouncements about the significance of peace within and peace without, remain as relevant as they were at the time they were pronounced in 1947. Jinnah’s precepts were not only for the newly independent but also for the entire region, and perhaps for the world today. It has been more than three years since I began writing on the same Daily Times platform, and we are already at WW 2.5, with the potential to expand horizontally and vertically under any miscalculation or technological malfunction. However, my calls received little attention.
At the time of writing this short article, the situation in the war zones across the Middle East and West Asia is complex, uncertain, and dangerous. No country in the region is unaffected, directly or indirectly. While Iran claims that it is only targeting the U.S. military establishments in the Middle East, there have been attacks on the civilian commercial centres as well.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has begun to affect oil and gas supplies, and it will soon start to affect the consumer goods supply chain across all Gulf States, as they are heavily dependent on food supplies throughout the same route.
On Day 9, the war entered a dangerous phase where the critical infrastructure was being attacked from both sides. While Israel is targeting Iran and Lebanon, Iran is targeting all its Gulf neighbours. Oil refineries, water desalination plants, and storage sites have been hit and destroyed by both sides. Targeting civilian and commercial facilities will directly affect the people who are already traumatised by the expanding war.
I am reminded of the Soviet Union’s longest serving Foreign Minister Andre Gromyko, who was of the view that ‘Ten years of Talk is better than One Day of War.’ Unfortunately, nobody is talking, and those who are talking are only talking about bombs and bullets.
I am reminded of the Soviet Union’s longest serving Foreign Minister Andre Gromyko, who was of the view that ‘Ten years of Talk is better than One Day of War.’ Unfortunately, nobody is talking, and those who are talking are only talking about bombs and bullets.
At the cost of repeating, I will quote myself that claims and counterclaims are part of warfare, and in this kind of war, which is no less than a mini world war, it is difficult to ascertain the losses on either side so soon, and the same would be confirmed only when war drums go silent.
Iran’s retaliation on the U.S. interests in the neighbouring countries is understandable but cannot be supported, because this is what the U.S. and Israel want, that the Muslims kill each other. They only add fuel to the fire.
Back to the title. The need of the hour is for a few sane leaders from neutral countries to come forward and declare an immediate ceasefire before it is too late. We must remember that the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons by any of the stakeholders remains, even if the probability is low. Therefore, this war should not reach a level where either Iran or Israel is faced with an existential threat, because Israel is a nuclear power and Iran remains an aspirant. We do not know its real capability in that domain. Moreover, the war zone is home to hydrocarbons, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has already begun to affect energy supplies to both affected and unaffected countries. In this situation, the expansion of war into nearby states and regions is a possibility with a relatively high probability.
Therefore, this war must not be allowed to continue like any other war, such as the Russia-Ukraine war that has been going on for over four years. The U.S. leadership, which is fast losing popularity at home, must immediately cease attacks on Iran’s infrastructure and also convince Israel to do so. Likewise, Iran must be asked to stop its retaliatory strikes on Israel, as well as U.S. targets in the region. The Talks on Iran’s nuclear programme must resume without any delay, and life in the region must return to normal as soon as practicable. Let me repeat my prayers for the safety and security of the people of the entire region, and hope that sanity will prevail. This war must end immediately without causing further losses to any of the regional countries. Talks must resume without any conditions on Iran, and some neutral countries must be included in the negotiations to ensure transparency and fairness in the process.
The writer of this article has authored four international books: Nuclear Deterrence and Conflict Management Between India and Pakistan, South Asia Needs Hybrid Peace, Understanding Sun Tzu and the Art of Hybrid War, and Diplomacy and Deterrence.”